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Neighborhood BriefingPhone-book recycling The city of Tucson has a new recycling program that accepts all phone books year-round at neighborhood recycling centers. The city's Solid Waste Management Department customer service line is 791-3171 and the recycling info line is 791-5000. Neighborhood Recycling Centers in the Midtown area include: * McCormick Park, on the east side of Columbus Boulevard, south of Fort Lowell Road. * East 22nd Street and South Alvernon Way; enter from Alvernon. CHS reunion The Catalina High School Class of 1982 is celebrating its 20-year reunion Nov. 1-3. For more information, call Ted Abrams at 743-1999 or go online to Classmates.com. Late Night Hoops Registration for the Tucson Parks and Recreation Department's Late Night Hoops teen basketball program begins Wednesday. There will be a $30 non-refundable team registration cost. The program, designed for players 13-15 and 16-19, features eight coed teams. League play is Oct. 12-Feb. 15, and games are scheduled between 7 and 11 p.m. Participants will play on Saturday nights at the Randolph Center, 200 S. Alvernon Way; El Pueblo Center, 101 W. Irvington Road; and Udall Center, 7200 E. Tanque Verde Road. Awards include first- and second-place trophies in each age bracket for league and citywide tournaments. T-shirts will be awarded for citywide tournament play, and to the team in each age division that best represents sportsmanship. Free-agent lists are available to individuals not registering with a team, and free-agent teams will be formed. Nearly 14,000 teens took part in the summer 2002 program; 6,000 are expected for the fall and winter session. Contact the sports office at 791-4870 for more information. | |
Buy a lobster, or many, to assist kids, familiesChild & Family Resources is taking orders for its 15th annual Lobster Landing. The fund-raiser pays for programs that enhance the lives of southern Arizona's children and families. Half of the price is tax-deductible. Prices are $16 for a 1 1/4-pound Maine lobster, live or cooked; $16 for a pair of Angus rib-eye steaks; $10 for a quart of clam chowder; $80 for a Romance package with two lobsters; $150 for the Feast for Four with four lobsters; $400 for the Party package with 12 lobsters; and $900 for Loads of Lobster with 30 lobsters. Packages include wine, salad fixings, corn on the cob, potatoes, bread, clarified butter, cookies and lobster plates, crackers and bibs. Orders are being taken through Oct. 4 at 881-8940 and by e-mail at lobster@cfraz.org. The lobsters will be flown in through the sponsorship of America West Airlines. Buyers can pick up their lobsters Oct. 12 at two locations: * In Tucson, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Child & Family Resources, 2800 E. Broadway, between Country Club Road and Tucson Boulevard * In Green Valley, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Monterey Homes Canoa Ranch model center, 1920 W. Via del Pulpo. | |
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An intelligent discussion is the main dish on this group's biweekly menu
ARIZONA DAILY STAR Talk. But in a society where time is money, conversation is becoming a
long-lost art, relegated to the likes of stitching, handwritten
letters and nonmicrowave dinners. Now a local group is trying to reverse the trend and get people
to stop, listen and rekindle the flames of good old-fashioned
discussion. Gathering biweekly around cups of coffee, tea and a few brownies
at the Rincon Market, at East Sixth Street and North Tucson
Boulevard, the group tackles topics like education and raising
children as well as more philosophic themes like the meaning of
power and truth in modern life. "Society is moving at such a fast pace that people don't have
time to just sit and think anymore," said Mike Millard, one of the
hosts of the Conversation Café. Millard got the idea for the cafe from simplicity circles he
began leading two years ago, forums where people got together to
discuss ways they could simplify their lives, from cutting spending
to de-cluttering their closets and, eventually, their minds. The café, which is held every other week, began in May. The rules are simple: listen, be respectful, give everyone a
chance to speak. "It's a living entity that takes on a life of its own," said
Patricia Rosas, a co-host of the Conversation Café. "Shyness just
evaporates." For Jimmy Allen, who is 43 and self-employed, the best part of
the Conversation Café is meeting interesting and like-minded people
who are curious, passionate and as enthusiastic about learning from
each other as he is. "I am continuously searching for deeper conversation, that not
only stimulates your mind, but also your soul," he said. In late 19th-century Europe, talk was propelled to a new level
when salons became the place to be seen and heard for the leading
intellectuals of the era. Poet Gertrude Stein and philosopher Samuel
Taylor Coleridge gathered family and friends to vent on topics like
religion, politics and the meaning of art. They talked because talking led to more concrete ideas and
eventually action. They talked because they needed to understand
their world better. Not surprisingly, the reasons are much the same
today. "Real conversation is something a little more in depth, something
that forces me to take a subject and look inside myself and see how
I feel about it," said Kieran Conner, 23. Unlike a bar or a dance club, two venues where many people
Conner's age usually go to socialize, the Conversation Café gives
her a chance to meet new people who value intellectual discussion as
much as she does. "It's a nice exchange that happens because people are really
there to talk," she said. The Tucson Conversation Café is one of hundreds of similar groups
that have sprouted around the United States due to disciples of
Vicki Robin, author of "Your Money or Your Life." In it, this
Seattle writer uses a nine-step program aimed at simplifying
people's lives and focusing on their priorities. It's a philosophy that Rosas and Millard say they have espoused
in their own lives and they are, as a result, happier and more
fulfilled than ever. And lest we forget, the simple act of talking is a part of the
democratic process that keeps us informed about the issues and
active in our government, said Millard. "Some of the best ideas are born from conversations," he said.
* Contact Karina Ioffee at 434-4078 or kioffee@azstarnet.com.
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People* Linda Louie was awarded a $3,000 scholarship from the Holland & Knight Charitable Foundation for her 2002 Holocaust Remembrance Project, an essay contest for high-school students. She is a student at University High School and is the daughter of Judy LeFevre. * Midtown resident Mohammed Abdelwahab, a 2002 graduate of Tucson High Magnet School, will receive a $1,500 scholarship from USA Funds to pursue a degree in pharmacy at the University of Arizona. He is the son of Gasmalla Elhag and Somaia Elkhawad. Drop us a line at People Column, Neighbors, P.O. Box 26807, Tucson, AZ 85726. Send by fax to Michele Stewart-People at 573-4140 or e-mail to mstewart@azstarnet.com. Please include your name, address, a daytime phone number and the same for the person you are nominating - and that person's connection to a Tucson or Southern Arizona neighborhood or area. |